Pendulum swing for electric clocks



April 1954 J. F. PUNZAK 2,676,453

PENDULUM SWING FOR ELECTRIC CLOCKS Filed July 13, 1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 27 1954 2,676,453 PENDULUM SWING FOR ELECTRIC CLOCKS Joseph F. Punzak,

Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to United Metal Goods Manufacturing Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a, corporation of New York Application July 13, 1950, Serial No. 173,522

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electric clocks and is particularly for an improved drive and mounting for a pendulum swing member.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved drive and mounting for a pendulum member connected for direct actuation in both directions by the clock motor, both for the purposes of giving the effect of a pendulum clock, and for showing that the clock motor is in operation.

An important feature of the invention is to provide a mounting and drive for a pendulum member which can readily be attached to the clock for causing the pendulum member to swing laterally, as well as fore and aft, as may be desired. The pendulum member may simulate an actual pendulum or it may be made as a swing and one or more figurines, such as one or two children, for example, may be shown in sitting or standing position on the swing, which swing, as noted above, is positively operated either fore and aft, or laterally, as may be desired.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a back view of an electric clockshowing the improved drive and mounting of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the part shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of further details of the improved mounting.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the pendulum.

Referring now to these drawings, 2 is the back of an electric clock on which is mounted the usual base plate 4 and a second base plate 6, on which is mounted the usual constant speed electric motor of known construction, the rotor of which is shown at 8. This construction is well known in the art.

,Secured to the plate 4 is an angular bracket I 0, this bracket being provided with a horizontally extending shelf I2. The shelf I2 carries on its underside a bearing block I4 conveniently in the form of a solid cylinder provided with two holes I6 and I8 extending entirely therethrough and positioned at right angles to each other.

Secured to the upper side of shelf I2 is a block I9 which may be separate from or integral with block I4, this block being centrally recessed to receive a bearing 20 provided with a central step bearing 22 for receiving the driving axle 24, to which axle is secured the eccentric 26.

Secured to the upper end of the axle 24, just above the washer 28, is a driving arm 30 provided with a vertical pin 32 in a position to be engaged by either of two horizontal arms 34 extending through a bushing 36. The bushing has an extension 38 to which is secured shaft 40 which, in turn, is driven by the clock motor by suitable gearing such, for example, as a tooth gear 42 driven by the worm 44, which worm is driven by the clock motor.

One or the other of arms 34 engages pin 32 and drives arm 30 and so rotates the eccentric. The connection described is a lost motion connection, permitting independent movement of arm 30 and the eccentric, so that the eccentric may readily be set in proper position to be embraced by fork 48 as described below.

The swing or pendulum member comprises a support, including a vertical strip 46, the upper part of which is formed as a two-arm fork 4B, the arms 48 of the fork embracing the eccentric 26 on opposite sides thereof.

Strip 46, below the arm 48, is provided with a laterally and horizontally extending pivotal axis 50 which is adapted to pass through either hole It or hole I8, as may be desired, in the block I4. A readily detachable collar 5|, mounted in a suitable groove, is snapped in place on 50 after 5!) is placed in hole I6 or I8.

The pendulum member also may include a supporting bar 52 to which is secured the supporting wires 54 for supporting the seat 56 of a swing.

Portion 46, however, may be simply extended downwardly as shown in Fig. 5 provided with a pendulum-like disk 56 at the lower end thereof.

The pendulum swing member is readily attachable to and detachable from block I4, by simply removing collar 5|, inserting the axis 58 through the appropriate hole I6 or I8 in block I4, the fork 48 embracing the eccentric 26 on opposite sides. The described lost motion connection provided by 34, 32, and 30 permits the proper positioning of the eccentric to receive the fork 4B.

To summarize the operation, axle 50 of the pendulum is put in either hole I6 or hole l8 of block I4. When in the position shown in Fig. I, the pendulum swing operates laterally. How ever, the axle 50 may be readily removed from one hole and put in the other hole at right angles thereto so that it will oscillate in a plane at right angles thereto, namely fore and aft with respect to the face of the clock.

The motor of the clock drives the eccentric continuously and this eccentric engages alternately against the arms 48 of the pendulum for positively operating the pendulum in both direc- 3 tions of its swing. This positive operation of the pendulum in both directions applies whether it swings fore and aft, or laterally.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in some detail, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details but may be carried out in other ways.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric clock, comprising in combination a clock frame, a base plate carried by said clock frame, a shelf extending horizontally from the back of said base plate, a bearing block carried by the underside of said shelf and provided with a horizontally extending bearing hole extending therethrough, an eccentric carried by the upper side of said horizontal shelf, a vertically extending drive shaft operatively connected with said eccentric for driving it, a constant speed motor for driving said drive shaft,

and a pendulum swing member including a horizontal axle positioned in said bearing hole in said bearing block, said swing member including a horizontally extending member having a pair 4. of arms embracing said eccentric, for operation thereby.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the upper side of said shelf is provided with a second bearing block for mounting said eccentric.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operative connection between the vertical drive shaft and said eccentric includes a lost motion connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 384,545 Richardson June 12, 1888 664,924 Boettcher Jan. 1, 1901 2,237,673 Landgraf Apr. 8, 1941 2,334,995 Dalkowitz Nov. 23, 1943 2,507,026 Lerman May 9, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 859,429 France Dec. 18, 1940 

